Netherlands vs England, international friendly - as it happened
Re-live all the action from Amsterdam
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Your support makes all the difference.With less than three months to go until the World Cup kicks off in Russia, Gareth Southgate has two games to add the finishing touches to his England team.
The first of those matches sees the Three Lions take on Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands in a clash that pits two transitory teams against one another.
Southgate has already confirmed that Jordan Pickford will be starting in goal while Jordan Henderson has been named captain for the fixture. Jack Wilshere is unavailable after being left behind in England with a knee injury he sustained in training.
Where can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast on ITV 1. Coverage starts at 19:30.
It’s a big game for:
Virgil van Dijk. The 26-year-old has been named captain for the Netherlands, taking over duty from Arjen Robben who retired late last year. Against England, Van Dijk now has the chance to lead by example and prove why Liverpool made him the most expensive defender in history last January. Given he knows his opposition well, there’s even more expectancy for the Dutchman to run a tight ship tonight.
Head-to-head:
England 1 Netherlands 2, international friendly, March 2016
England 2 Netherlands 3, international friendly, February 2012
Netherlands 2 England 2, international friendly, August 2009
Form:
Netherlands: WWWWWL
England: DDWWWW
Confirmed squads
Netherlands squad: Marco Bizot, Jasper Cillessen, Jeroen Zoet, Patrick van Aanholt, Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Hans Hateboer, Matthijs de Ligt, Kenny Tete, Stefan de Vrij, Donny van de Beek, Davy Proepper, Marten de Roon , Kevin Strootman, Guus Til, Tonny Vilhena, Georginio Wijnaldum, Ryan Babel, Steven Berghuis, Memphis Depay, Bas Dost, Justin Kluivert, Quincy Promes, Wout Weghorst.
England squad: Joe Hart, Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland, Nick Pope, Kyle Walker, Kieran Tripper, Ryan Bertrand, Danny Rose, John Stones, James Tarkowski, Alfie Mawson, Joe Gomez, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Jake Livermore, Adam Lallana, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Ashley Young, Jesse Lingard, Lewis Cook, Danny Welbeck, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford.
Odds:
Netherlands to win: 6/4
Draw: 11/5
England to win: 9/5
There's no clear number one
There's selection headaches all over the pitch for Gareth Southgate but Jordan Pickford gets the nod this evening, for the first half at least.
"He's agile, quick around his goal, capable of making big saves and his distribution is excellent," said Southgate on this evening's number one.
"We're not in a situation where we have a goalkeeper who's established in the team and playing at his club regularly, all things aligned as you might hope at this point.
"There's not a clear number one because of what's happened, particularly with Joe at his club.
'There's still plenty of football to be played, it is a tight call at the moment.'
Has Southgate got this call right? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @IndyFootball
Gareth Southgate has explained his 3-5-2 formation to ITV Sport.
"It's a great competition for places and we believe in the goalkeepers we've got, they have different attributes. He (Pickford) has outstanding distribution.
"Its a shame for Jack Wilshere but across the games we want to look at different players.
"We've gone 3-5-2 today with Jordan (Henderson) as a pivot with good attacking players.
"I think you want the players to gain belief, (Netherlands) they're a top footballing nation and a grade a pedigree, we want to play well and results will follow."
So the players are walking onto the pitch which is looking more like an Amsterdam nightclub rather than a stadium. Some weird light and music show going on here.
Okay the national anthems are finishing and we're just minutes away from kick off. Follow all the action LIVE in a criticism free zone, well at least for the first ten minutes - we're being positive here.
1: 20 seconds in and the physios are on the treat Danny Rose who took a blow to the head when challenging for a header. Ashley Young is warming up as the doctors do their work.
2: Danny Rose is back up after taking a blow to the head as a result of Hateboer's challenge. Fun fact: 'Hateboer' accurately describes Jose Mourinho's feelings towards the former Dutch defender and brief Crystal Palace manager, Frank de Boer.
Here's that light-show/nightclub feel that was put on at the Johan Cruyff Stadium
6: Not a bad start for England. They've probably had the more activity on the ball but it's been tight in the middle.
There's also more injury concerns. Joe Gomez has twisted his ankle and landed awkwardly on his leg after challenging in the air. The physios are on but he's now receiving treatment on the sideline.
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